Sold Date: October 22, 2015
Start Date: October 15, 2015
Final Price: $20.75 (USD)
Bid Count: 2
Seller Feedback: 257
Buyer Feedback: 103

Here is one of the most obscure sessions in the 1970s British 'prog rock' canon - from Tony Stratton-Smith's Charisma (GENESIS, VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR, MONTY PYTHON) label in 1975. After the tour for THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY ended, and PETER GABRIEL had announced his departure from Genesis formally, Gabriel thought he might start a career as a songwriter/record producer. He and his songwriter friend MARTIN HALL (who also helped out on demos for the first Gabriel solo album "CAR," and received a co-write credit on that album's "Excuse Me") wrote the song "You Never Know," (both the final track and its demo [featuring only Gabriel, Hall and Phil Collins] are available to listen over YouTube) ostensibly as a one-off novelty single for UK comedian/personality Charlie Drake (who had an international novelty hit in the early '60s with "My Boomerang Won't Come Back"). Peter Gabriel then assembled a crack, 'who's who' of prog/art-rock stalwarts to record the track with Charlie Drake: the nascent BRAND X and BRIAN ENO rhythm section of PHIL COLLINS and PERCY JONES (on drums and fretless bass respectively, of course); KING CRIMSON's ROBERT FRIPP on guitar; KEITH TIPPETT of KING CRIMSON, CENTIPEDE and the KEITH TIPPETT GROUP on keyboards; and the great SANDY DENNY (FAIRPORT CONVENTION) for a vocal section. Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins also contributed their familiar Genesis harmonic vocal blend to the session, which is credited as being produced by the GABRIEL EAR WAX company. Extremely rare (as this single, which was only released in the UK, wasn't anywhere near a hit record), it's actually a nifty little prog-novelty fusion, very reminiscent in its 'madcap/eccentric British humor' feel and groove execution of Gabriel's "Willow Farm" section of "Supper's Ready."